Their hair colour has made a lot of people wonder and make up things to distinguish them from everyone else. Here are eight of the most untrue and strangest.

1) They’re vampires

Victoria from Twilight (Photo: Summit Entertainment)

Yes, being ginger often often also comes with pale skin. But our ancient ancestors decided that the deathly pale look meant people with red hair were literally creatures of death.

19th century scholar Montague Summers explains how it was a common belief in Ancient Egypt.

‘Those whose hair is red, of a certain peculiar shade, are unmistakably vampires.

‘It is significant that in ancient Egypt, as Manetho tells us, human sacrifices were offered at the grave of Osiris, and the victims were red-haired men who were burned, their ashes being scattered far and wide by winnowing-fans,’ he writes.

But the good news, if you can call it that, is that some authorities believed it could produce a plentiful harvest as red hair symbolised the ‘golden wealth’ of the corn.

2) Redheads were witches

If not vampires, gingers have been historically believed to be witches too.

3) Redheads bruise more easily

Gingers might look more delicate – we can’t help it if bruises look a bit more obvious because of how pale we are.

But that doesn’t mean we actually bruise more easily. And there’s science to prove it.

This 2007 study looked into the commonly held misconception that red-haired people have an increased rate of bruising.

Despite red-haired volunteers reporting more bruising compared to their dark-haired equivalents, there was no significant difference in hemoglobin concentration or platelet numbers – the things in your body that produce bruises.

Other essential ingredients included basilisk powder, copper and vinegar.

8) Gingers don’t have souls

A more modern myth that became a hot topic after a 2005 South Park episode and redhead Mikey Kittrell’s subsequent and very public meltdown.

The episode in question featured a character giving a hate speech against gingers, describing them as disgusting, inhuman, unable to survive in sunlight and having no souls.

It’s meant as a parody and ends with the characters singing about how different races should live in peace together, but it caused ginger Mikey Kittrell to famously declare ‘ginger have souls’ in a viral YouTube video.